One country radically cracks down on this type of traveler

Jumping up as soon as the plane lands will now earn some travelers a hefty fine.

May 28, 2025 - 16:24

One country radically cracks down on this type of traveler

While some travelers diligently wait until the ding of the seatbelt sign to unbuckle, others jump up seconds after the plane has touched down. Because federal laws in most countries require passengers to stay seated until the plane is fully stopped at the gate, this behavior will often prompt a frustrated captain or flight attendant to remind travelers of the rules.

Seeing over 56 million international tourists and 230 million airport passengers in 2024, Türkiye decided to take a more radical approach to the behavior of passengers whom some corners of the internet have dubbed "aisle lice."

Earlier this spring, the Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation named "a serious increase" in passengers who do not follow "the satisfaction and exit priority" of other travelers.

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Turkish authorities to travelers: 'Wait your turn'

The Directorate General urges travelers to "please respect the disembarkation priority of the passengers in front of or around you and wait for your turn," while those who disregard it and get up anyway on any flight landing in Türkiye can, as of May 2, be fined up to 2,603 Turkish lira or approximately $66 USD.

"Do not stand up or proceed in the aisle before it is your turn to exit," the guidance reads further. "Passengers who do not comply with the rules will be reported, and an administrative fine will be imposed in accordance with the applicable legal regulations."

This will involve the airline filing what the government agency calls a "passenger ignorance report" and the government then issuing the fine by mail.

As Türkiye's flagship carrier, Turkish Airlines was the first to roll out the new guidance. International airlines flying into the country will have the option of using the rule to discourage standing up early or otherwise blocking the aisle — the fine appears to serve as a "scare tactic" meant to keep travelers in line.

Travelers can endanger flights when they stand up before the plane is fully stopped at the gate, or when they block the aisle before it's their turn to exit.
Image source: Shutterstock

The 'aisle lice' term has been taking off on social media as practice continues

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules also prohibit passengers from crowding plane aisles on U.S.-based flights, although without fines, it's the head flight attendant's call regarding whether the passenger is purposely disregarding instructions and endangering the safety of the flight.

In such cases, the passenger's behavior could be cause for diverting the flight, if it is still in progress, and directing them to law enforcement upon landing.

But in cases where the travelers merely inconvenience others by getting up too early once the flight has landed, there is little recourse other than overhead announcements from the flight crew and social media shaming.

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Google Trends (GOOGL) data shows that the term "aisle lice" has started taking off at the start of 2025, when discussions on various social media platforms drew attention to the behavior.

"Not only do the two people next to me decide to stand up but somehow the guy from the window seat shoves his way forward and is the first of all of us to get off the plane," one traveler wrote on the Delta (DAL) forum on Reddit. "All of this just for the d***head to take a leisurely stroll to the restroom in the terminal."